Ravi Shastri wants a 2-week break for Indian cricketers after IPL
Opening up on the bio-bubble debate, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri on Friday, admitted that constantly staying in a restricted environment is 'mentally draining'. In this regard, he said that Indian cricketers must get a two-week break after IPL 2021 to recover from mental fatigue.
Speaking to Star Sports, Ravi Shastri candidly said:
"I do believe you need a break from international cricket at some point. After the England series, yes they go into the IPL. Again after the IPL, a couple of weeks off is a must.”
Ravi Shastri further continued in this regard:
"Because in these quarantines, in these bubbles, it is mentally draining. You are a human, at the end of it all."
The Indian players were part of the bio-bubble in the UAE from September to early November. From there, they directly headed to Australia for a gruelling tour featuring four Tests, three ODIs and as many T20Is.
After a brief break, India’s four-match Test series against England at home kicked off on Friday in Chennai. The teams will later feature in five T20Is and three ODIs.
Following the England series, the 14th edition of the IPL is likely to held between April and May this year. The 2021 World T20 is also scheduled to be take place in India towards the end of the year.
This team takes pride in its performance: Ravi Shastri
Despite the bio-bubble restrictions and unending injury woes exacerbated by Virat Kohli’s absence (for the last three Tests), the visitors came up with a spectacular effort to defeat a strong Australian outfit 2-1 Down Under.
Hailing the Indian team for its character and resilience, Ravi Shastri said that the current team has great bench strength and the hunger to perform. He elaborated:
"As far as this team goes, this team takes pride in its performance; we will take it one step at a time. Every series is important. Every format is important. And we have got the volume of players; we have the bench strength to accommodate across all formats. So there will be the hunger to perform.”
India endured a tough opening day of the first Test against England in Chennai. The visiting captain Joe Root led from the front, scoring his 20th century in his 100th Test, to help England end the day on the ascendancy at 263 for 3.
The hosts will now look to restrict England to a manageable total before trying to eke out a significant first-innings lead to force a result.